New Zealand’s Justice Minister Kiri Allan resigns after facing criminal charges for reckless driving and resisting after a car crash.
Less than three months before the national elections, a slew of blunders and scandals involving government ministers have occurred, including the event with Kiri Allan. According to opinions, the race is expected to be close because the conservative opposition has caught up to or pushed slightly ahead of the incumbent liberals.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins reported that Allan was involved in a car crash on Sunday in Wellington and was detained at the central police station before being released four hours later.
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KIRI ALLAN’S POLITICAL CAREER
Allan’s political career started in 2017 when she entered the House as a List MP. She rose to prominence under the then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. She was praised for handling the 2021 Tsunami warnings through mass evacuations. Ardern described her as “remarkable”.
ALLAN’S FALL FROM GRACE
Once a rising star of the Labour Party, Allan continued making headlines for a few years more but this time it was all for the wrong reasons. She was linked with Meng Foon (the then race relations commissioner) for donating thousands of dollars to Allan in the run-up to the 2020 General Election.
More recently Allan was accused of mistreating her staff. A staffer reported that they were “concerned” about how the minister was dealing with the staff.
At that time Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he still had confidence in Allan despite the allegations as she is an “incredibly competent and talented person”.
ALLAN’S RESIGNATION
Soon after the collision, Allan was taken into police custody in Wellington on Sunday night. According to a source, Justice Minister Kiri Allan has been charged with careless use of a motor vehicle for crashing into a parked vehicle and refusing to accompany a police officer after the crash.
According to the sources, charges and other information about the event were stated in a police statement which mentioned that Allan had received an infringement notice for possessing an excessive amount of breath alcohol, which is defined as 250–400 micrograms (mcg) of alcohol per litre of breath.
Hipkins claimed that he spoke with Allan on Monday morning and said that he didn’t believe she was in a fit state to continue serving as a minister. Moreover, it is unacceptable for a Justice Minister to be accused of a crime. Hipkins told the reporters that Allan has been in “extreme emotional distress” and her personal struggles came to a head on Sunday at the time of the incident.
According to Hipkins, she agreed and gave up her ministerial positions. As of now, Allan remains a member of the Parliament.
No trial date has been scheduled as of yet. However, if proven guilty, Allan could be subjected to fines and a licence suspension.
It has been a difficult time for the Hipkins’ government. Last month, the transport and immigration minister Michael Wood quit after failing to report a potential conflict of interest involving stock he owned. Stuart Nash, the police minister, was let go in March after it was discovered that he had given private information to donors. After deciding to support a different political party in May, Meka Whaitiri, the minister of customs, was fired.
